Bench rests are used by shooters to support firearms, particularly rifles, during adjustment of firearm sights (including scopes), bench rest shooting sports, and hunting. A bench rest is characterized by a frame supporting a rest, which in turn supports the firearm. Some bench rests include a mechanism for rigidly mounting the firearm to the frame (in which case the bench rest is used primarily for adjusting the firearm sights), while others employ a platform for supporting the firearm and/or portions of the upper torso (which may include the arms) of the user. Some bench rests may be collapsed or disassembled for ease of transport, such as for backpacking or storage, while other bench rests are more permanent in nature for use at shooting ranges and the like. Some bench rests include seats supporting the user during firing of the firearm, others do not.
The present invention is directed to a seat and platform support, such as for a bench rest, of the type that may be easily disassembled and re-assembled at a site. More particularly, the present invention is directed to a bench rest that can be disassembled into a minimal number of parts, wherein the platform is adjustable to accommodate left- and right-handed users, and the seat is movable relative to the bench rest platform without adjustment of any fastener so that the user may quickly adjust to various shooting orientations. This latter feature is particularly important for bench rest shooting sports employing moving targets and for hunting, and permits the user to rotate the shooting orientation through a reasonable shooting field.
Vecqueray, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,058,641, describes a bench rest having central shaft with collapsible legs pivotally attached to one end of the shaft. A removable seat assembly includes a collar that may be slipped over the free end of the shaft and fastened to the shaft by a manually-operable set screw to set the vertical and angular positions of the seat relative to the shaft. A removable bench rest platform includes a collar fastened over the free end of the shaft to complete the bench rest. While Vecqueray's bench rest can be disassembled into three parts and provides independent adjustment of the seat to accommodate various users, it does not permit quick rotation of the seat to various shooting orientations through a reasonable shooting field.
Mueller, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,060,410, describes a bench rest having a triangular support structure having a shaft forming one leg of the structure. The shaft can be assembled to a base to support a bench rest platform. An arm is rotatably attached to the shaft to support an adjustable and removable cantilevered seat. While the Mueller bench rest accommodates various users and permits quick rotation of the seat to various shooting orientations, the triangular support structure is bulky and not altogether satisfactory for easy transport to the field.
There is a need, therefore, for a stable, portable seat and platform assembly which is easily transportable and which has a seat assembly that accommodates various users and allows for quick rotation of the seat to various shooting orientations. There is also a need for a seat and platform support that can be alternatively converted to a bench rest or utility table.